Stories

The Break-up

Silence has its own way of settling in. Quiet and lost, Neha sat on the bench. Significant as it has always been, it was that bench where everything started. Tears dried, she looked into the space. Besides her was Viraj. He looked at her, tensed, concerned. “You know we can’t do anything Neha” he said.

Tears started to roll again. Slowly she blinked and her forehead turned into a frown. Viraj tried to hug her by an arm but she pushed him away. Eyes red she looked at him directly. “At least we could try?” Viraj looked down in partial shame and part guilt. He had nothing to say. The night was settling in. Sitting on their favourite bench of Marine Lines Sea Face, the couple knew that this would be their last time.

The feeling was unsettling, uneasy and unbelievable. They were in a relationship for six years. It wasn’t just a relationship. They had given everything away for each other. Changed, moulded and compromised, they had taken a shape to fit each others’ needs and now all of sudden, they both knew that everything was over, only to meet a tragic end. Looking away into the dark sea, Neha said, “Can you even imagine Viraj, the good morning or good night that we said last was the last time after now?”

She looked at him, again crying, yet smiling in pain, she continued, “Can you imagine the last time we kissed was the final time after today?” Viraj couldn’t hold back his grief. He too began to weep. Their hearts ached. “Why…?” said Neha faintly. “There was no option baby…” said Viraj. “We weren’t destined to be together” and the silence paved in. “Six years Viraj. Six year and you suddenly decide to go?” asked Neha with agitation. Viraj tried to hug her again but Neha was firm. She pushed his hand behind.

Looking away from him she said, “Go away Viraj. Go away. I can’t look at you anymore or else it will destroy me forever….just leave” she said and held her face into her hands. She sobbed hard and then looked up after a couple of minutes. She calmed herself and looked besides her. Viraj was gone. Right into the thin air of the cozy night. He had left, leaving her all alone on the bench where he had proposed to her six years ago. The very place where they met for the first time, befriended and then set off on a new journey of relationship.

Neha kept looking into the blank and then faintly said, “I love you Viraj….” tears began to roll again as she looked into her phone. The infinity display glowed into the aching night. It displayed a news article of that day which read “Captain Viraj Naik and his team of 10 martyred in J&K during a Gun Battle with terrorists” Neha slowly rubbed her finger over Viraj’s photo in the news article and finally with a deep breath, she came to terms with the reality…